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Services

At Viridian we model the complexity of nature to give you clear solutions.

We excel at modelling and mapping ecosystem services, especially those involving water. We use complex algorithms and state-of-the-art methods to show what interventions should be done and where to do them to meet client aspirations. We devise the most effective and efficient solutions, rather than offering simplistic ‘opportunity’ mapping. This can be particularly useful for:

Natural flood management

Landscape planning and policy, from local to regional scales

Natural capital accounting and economic valuation

Agricultural engagement and risk reduction

Biodiversity compensation

Infrastructure options appraisal

Urban green infrastructure

About

Modelling landscape systems to best understand natural capital

Ecosystem services can be split into two distinct categories: place-based services and water-flow services. Place-based services can be assessed adequately using straight-forward GIS data overlays and rule bases, as such benefits accrue where the habitats are located. Water-flow services, on the other hand, deliver benefits downstream from the habitats that provide them. This means that complex, hydrological modelling is necessary to identify optimal solutions. Standard ‘opportunity mapping’ using GIS data and rules will give inefficient, misleading or possibly damaging outputs.

As you might guess, here at Viridian we model ecosystem-aware water-flow solutions mathematically, leading the way in this innovation.

Water-flow services need to be modelled for upstream and downstream interactions across entire landscapes. In the UK, our model ranks each 5m ‘pixel’ of a given river catchment for its current and future ability to mitigate flooding, siltation, mobile diffuse pollution (water soluble and soil adsorbed), and drought.

It is worth noting that those areas with highest potential to provide services (high opportunity) are often not the same as those areas where interventions will make the most difference (high impact); Viridian models this and incorporates it into solution design.

Viridian algorithms model catchments to

show which parts of the landscape are working hardest to provide the specific benefits as is

identify gaps where the largest increase in service provision can be achieved

decide on an optimal habitat type to place in these gaps to maximise the ecosystem service

Alternatively, (1) can be used to show where degradation of existing habitats will lead to the greatest loss in service provision. We can calculate further comparative provision scores for location-based ecosystem services (e.g. carbon storage, air quality, etc). Once a specific ecosystem service (or set of services) has been prioritised, the water-flow and location-specific services are combined, showing co-benefits and trade-offs.